


Herbal Remedies

by IbelieveinMarkNutt



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: But stubborn, Cause David ain't a paedophile y'all, David is competent, David looking after Max, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Max is a sick baby, Non-shipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-30
Updated: 2016-09-30
Packaged: 2018-08-18 18:55:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8172316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IbelieveinMarkNutt/pseuds/IbelieveinMarkNutt
Summary: Max is sick but he refuses to admit it.-David sighed. “Max, it’ll make you feel better.”“No!”“Max.”“David.” Max crossed his arms, staring back at him. His glare was broken as he fell into a congested coughing fit.





	

Max was not sick. Okay, maybe he was a little sick, but that was beside the point, the point was that Max wasn’t going to give _Davey_ the satisfaction of being right.

He pulled at the straps of his rucksack, trying to loosen the tight fit on his shoulders. Of all the days to run a fever it had to be on the day of _Adventure Camp_ (and more), the day’s activities including a hike up into the deeper end of the forest.

“Are you sure you’re up for this, Max?” David came into view, squatting down to try and help Max adjust his backpack.

There he was again, putting on his pretending to give a shit act.

“Oh my God, shut the fuck up, David.” Max rasped, slapping his hands away and wiping a runny nose on his sleeve, trying and failing to hold back a wet sounding cough.

“Language.” David’s face was crumpled in concern, straightening back up, “At least try to stay hydrated, we’re gonna be walking a while.”

David rummaged around in his backpack and produced a water bottle, pressing it into Max’s hand.

“Whatever.” Max glared up at him, fist tightening around the bottle, the unforgiving shine of the sun not helping with the headache he was nursing.

David stared down at him, trying to assess whether or not he should be taking Max back to Camp Campbell before he was distracted, letting out a cry, “-Nikki, no! Get down from there!”

“Never!” Nikki screeched from the top of a tree she had somehow managed to climb behind both counsellors’ backs, upside down, swinging by her legs on a flimsy branch. She guffawed gleefully as David panicked, arms open, hovering under her.

“Gwen!” David called helplessly, his co-worker in the middle of a situation of her own as she tried to get Nerris away from a patch of poison ivy.

The branch snapped and Nikki fell, crushing David in the process, who let out an arguably girlish scream at the impact. Everyone fell silent as they looked to the scene.

Nikki jumped up with a wide grin, unscathed, hands on her hips. “Whoo-ee! That was fun! Next time you need to fall out of the tree and I’ll catch you! What you say, David-David-David?”

David said a few undisguisable words of pain, dragging himself up and rubbing at his shoulder. “Ow. …I say, maybe that’s not- not the best idea.”

Max snickered behind his sleeve once it became apparent David wasn’t hurt too badly, wiping up more mucus and using the chaos Nikki had created to his advantage, slipping away to join up with Neil and the rest of the group.

They started up the trail, David doing his best to enthuse everyone as he sang songs and tried to engage campers in games of I-spy and twenty questions. It wasn’t going so well, attention spans dropping one after the other. About ten minutes later was when the whining started.

“How long is this fucking walk?” Max threw his hands up at the sky, dragging his feet and refusing to admit to himself it was becoming a little hard to breath.

“Don’t be a Negative Nancy, Max! Just three more miles and you’ll see the view is totally worth the hike!” David exaggerated his tone so that everyone could hear him, smiling as if he couldn’t hear the collective groan, Gwen included.

Max ground his teeth and flinched internally as every booming word wriggled its way into his cranium and made his headache worse.

A view? They were doing all this for a view?

“Oh God, I think I’m getting sweat patches.” Neil’s nasally tone interrupted his building irritation, the boy lifting up an arm, “Does this look like a sweat patch to you?”

Max coughed and sniffed, too proud to ask either of the counsellors for a tissue to stop the dribble from his nose.

“Dude, are you alright?” Neil queried and lowered his arm, concerned in his own, special, insensitive sort of way, “You look like absolute shit.”

Before Max had the chance to get in a retort, he fell to his knees and passed out.

For the next three and a half hours, Max drifted in and out of consciousness.

He remembered the feeling of a cool hand on his forehead followed by the splashing of water, of his arms being pulled from the restraint of his hoodie. He remembered being carried like a kid, a hand in his hair and his face against someone’s neck, steady steps and an equally steady heartbeat. There was a cold flannel against his chest, murmurings, and the same cool hand back against his head again.

Max woke up fully in a comfortable bed with pillows propping him up and something dripping cool water over his forehead. He brought up a hand, discovering it was in fact an ice pack. A light breeze blew over him from an electric fan on the bedside table.

He cleared his throat, it feeling dry and scratchy. His body ached.

“Oh, good, you’re awake, we were getting worried.”

Max blinked blearily and David came into view. The man leaned forward and smiled, gangly legs hanging over the edge of his chair, concerned. His wide, blue eyes held an unmistakable kindness that pissed Max off.

He tried to sit up fully.

“Hey, now, take it easy. You’ll make yourself light headed.” David reached out to try and support Max.

Max shoved away his hands despite how soothing the broad, calloused palms David had felt against his bare skin. It felt right, like the way a brother’s- or dare he say it- a _father’s_ touch should be. The ice pack fell in his lap and the room spun just as David had predicted.

Since when was he shirtless? He was shirtless, which meant David had seen his-

Max coughed and rubbed a hand over his face, tears burning in his eyes.

“Max?”

“Why did you take my shirt?!” He wheezed out in fury.

“I- I thought it might be best. You were running a fever, I didn’t-”

“So you took off my clothes and put me in your bed? What are you, like some kind of fucking paedo?!”

Hurt flashed across David’s face before it hardened. His voice took on a serious edge Max didn’t know he had. “Max, that is a very serious accusation.”

Max went silent. He crossed his arms and started down at the melting pack. Even he couldn’t deny he had overstepped the mark there, saying stuff like that could lose David his job, get him on a one way ticket to a tabloid’s headline and the Sex Offender’s List.

He swallowed. “…Sorry.”

David softened again. “That’s alright. Here, drink this.”

A pink, plastic cup was gently brought up Max’s mouth and he took it with both hands, greedily taking a few gulps. It was orange juice, not the cheap shit you mixed with water, it was fresh, with bits in. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“I thought we ran out of juice.” He croaked.

“Not all of it, you’ve got to keep some things for yourself.” David said in return.

He placed a gentle hand on Max’s back again, yet to be discouraged, rubbing over his feverish skin, brushing gently over the raised marks there. It was clear David could see the scars but he was yet to comment. Max almost told him to get off, but in the end he didn’t. It felt unfamiliar but… nice. Like he was being taken care of.

“See?” Max eventually said, “You’re a selfish bastard like the rest of us. Hiding all the juice. Dolph is gonna be pissed.”

“Uh huh.” David was being uncharacteristically subdued, getting up and coming back with a blister pack of pills, popping out a couple.

Max took them silently.

“Those should help with your headache-” David said, opening a draw and rummaging, pulling out a small pot- “and this should help you breathe a little better. After you’ve blown your nose, of course.”

“What is it?” Max’s tone sounded more accusatory than he meant it to, but David was unfazed.

“Olbas oil, it’s a kind of herbal remedy, you rub it on your chest and it helps you breathe easier”

“I didn’t realise you were into all that hippy bullshit.”

“It’s not, it’s a treatment.” David argued, screwing open the top.

Max balked and pushed himself backwards, away from the smell. “Dude. That shit is not touching me.”

David sighed. “Max, it’ll make you feel better.”

“No!”

“ _Max.”_

“ _David.”_ Max crossed his arms, staring back at him. His glare was broken as he fell into a congested coughing fit.

David screwed the top back on in defeat and got Max a tissue.

He sat by Max’s bedside and opened a folder, Max reading the top of the form from where he was sat. ‘Accident Report Form’ it said, David clicking a pen and beginning to write in Max’s full name, his soft humming lost under the buzz of the fan.

“I thought you would be freaking out a lot more than you are.” Max said as he watched David jot down on the page fluidly.

David glanced up at that, grin flashing. “I’ve been doing this a long time.”

“How long?”

“Eight years.” He expanded when Max stayed silent, “You know, before this year, I would have confidently said there was nothing a camper could do that would phase me. But you guys, you guys have been a… challenge.”

“So, a bunch of little shits making your life a miserable hell, then?” Max was practically puffing out his chest with pride, blowing his nose again.

“No,” David replied with a gush, “It’s actually been incredibly interesting! You’re all so talented and amazing at such different things at such a young age. The only thing you guys are lacking is the enthusiasm. But don’t worry, I plan on fixing that ASAP.”

“Great, now you’re being annoying again.”

“Sorry.” David cracked a sheepish smile. “You gonna lay back down?”

Max sniffed and did as the counsellor suggested, too exhausted to be a smart ass. David’s voice was kind of nice when he wasn’t projecting it so loud.

“…We’re gonna have to talk about some difficult things when you’re better, Max.” Adult David was back again, and Max found himself hating it more than usual David, the man smearing a little olbas oil onto his skin whilst he was distracted, “You understand that, don’t you?”

Max looked down at his hands, gripping them into fists. Did he really think David was just going to drop it? Of course David wouldn’t ignore it, he cared too God damn fucking much.

Max nodded wearily.

David changed Max’s ice pack and tucked him under the covers, Max finding David was right after all, able to breathe a whole lot better now he had this herbal stuff smeared on his chest. He hated David being right.

He closed his eyes, able to feel David’s presence next to him even if he wasn’t touching him.

“Hey, David?”

“Yes, Max?”

“…Do you know any other songs apart from that stupid camp one?”

Max heard David hold back a good-hearted laugh, floorboards creaking as the counsellor stood up, returning back to his seat and strumming his thumb over the strings of his guitar. He began to [play](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1e-CUdjVvM).

**Author's Note:**

> [Foster Parent AU](https://archiveofourown.org/series/759327)
> 
> [Urban AU](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14720210/chapters/34022081)
> 
> [My Edgy Tumblr](http://friendlyneighbourhoodvegan.tumblr.com)  
>  Drop a message if you wanna be friends. (tw: NSFW & explicit ultraviolence)


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